“Are you ready to rock?” It is a sad day when we can’t rock to simply the best rock show in Vegas! The hit two-hour classic rock concert experience, Raiding The Rock Vault, ended its residency at the Tropicana Theater on July 31st. After opening in March 2013 at the then Las Vegas Hilton, the popular show moved to the Tropicana in 2014. The one-of-a-kind rock ‘n roll show consistently ranked the “No. 1 Performance in Las Vegas” on TripAdvisor for over 12 months, and was voted “Best of Las Vegas” in 2014 and 2015 by readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The show brought the history of rock ‘n’ roll from the ‘60s through 1990 to our ears, minds and hearts in a live rock concert of classic rock anthems performed by the ‘real deal’ veteran rockers from highly-esteemed rock bands.

Since Raiding The Rock Vault hit the stage, words of praise and enthusiasm in the press and on the street were full-on ‘exceptional.’ Lead vocalist Paul Shortino, who is now a Las Vegas resident, has said how much the whole group enjoyed performing in the show and what a thrill it was to be on stage playing and singing these rock anthems. Much of the appeal was witnessing these talented performers who all seemed to genuinely be having a great time, which brought in calls from other musical greats wanting to sit-in and perform as guest appearances. This indeed was a unique idea, having real rock stars from a variety of bands come together to perform in one show.

It’s no wonder the show had been an all-time Vegas favorite. The unique high energy, full-on rock concert, with state of the art sound and lighting, and two video screens that showed photos of the original bands, as well as rock and roll trivia, brought old and new facts to light, filled a niche. The rockers performed the classic anthems from legendary bands like: The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Eagles, Queen, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Journey, Heart, Free, Aerosmith and more, boasting they had “The Greatest Set List Ever.”

Fans range in age from very young to the 40-and-over headbangers. The original classic rockers who grew up on this very music saw the show and then couldn’t wait to come back and bring their friends, children, and even grandchildren, to enjoy the fabulous show that was ever-changing, bringing in new musicians and singers to sit in and jam live. It was the first time that many young people could actually hear, see and experience what a rock concert was actually like. Everyone, no matter what age, sang along, danced, and left with a feeling of happy euphoria.

Many diehard fans did more than one return visit to the show. One fan, Ernie from Big Bear Lake, California, claims to have seen the show 48 times. Recently, I took some friends visiting from Michigan to see the show. And since every song in the show is like a rock anthem, they were instantly recognizable, creating a theater full of fans singing along all night to mega-hits like: “Juke Box Hero”, “Hotel California”, “Smoke On The Water”, as well as Robin McAuley performing Queen’s “We Are the Champions”, Paul Shortino’s version of Jim Morrison’s “Light My Fire” and Andrew Freeman closing the show with Van Halen’s “Jump”, which were hits with my guests. There wasn’t one song they didn’t know! This mesmerizing production had it all. The songs, the band, the screaming guitar solos, powerful vocal performances, incredible sound system, lighting, video, dancers, and best of all, it was a whopping case of happiness and nostalgia. Let’s hope Raiding The Rock Vault finds a new spot to rock-the-house-out here in Vegas really soon!